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FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MAGNES

This page is designed to provide quick, clear, basic information about the transfer of the former Judah L. Magnes Museum to the University of California, Berkeley, the creation The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, and its assets, holdings and resources to visitors and scholars.

Click on any of the questions listed below to navigate directly to its answer. If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

In June of 2010, the Board of Directors of the Judah L. Magnes Museum transferred the ownership of the museum's collections to the University of California, Berkeley, creating a new entity in partnership with the university: The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, a unit of the The Bancroft Library. The partnership between a a world-class collection and a world-class university complements the school’s academic offerings, raising the profile of the Magnes collection, and making it more accessible to visitors and scholars.

After the transfer of its collections to UC Berkeley in 2010, the former Judah L. Magnes Museum's financial assets became the Magnes Museum Foundation, a Supporting Organization of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund and the Jewish Community Foundation. Its primary purpose is to perpetuate the legacy of the Judah L. Magnes Museum by supporting the programs and operations of The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life.

The Magnes's current home in downtown Berkeley offers the general public a place to gather for exhibitions, lectures, performances and other events that foster community, learning, and growth. In the fall of 2012, it will accommodate deep research.

Can I come and do research at the Magnes? Can my institution borrow items for an exhibition and can I obtain permission to use images from the collection?

Magnes collections reside in two physical locations: The Magnes building at 2121 Allston Way in downtown Berkeley, and The Bancroft Library on the UC Berkeley campus. Appointments may be made to access collections housed in The Magnes Building for research or teaching two weeks in advance of intended use. For specific policies and procedures regarding collection access, refer to the Collection Services page.

Will the holdings of the Magnes ultimately be disseminated across the UC Campus? Where can I find them, and how can I have access to them?

Once the move to the new facility is completed, there will be two access points to the collection:

The museum holdings will be displayed for visitors, and made accessible to researchers by appointment at the new facility, at 2121 Allston Way in downtown Berkeley (near Campus and Downtown Berkeley BART)

Information about access to all collections, regardless of their physical location, will be available through the Magnes website, the Magnes online database, and UC Berkeley's library catalog, OskiCat.

The curatorial and reference staff of the Magnes will be able to provide up-to-date information about all collections and their accessibility, regardless of their physical location, by answering queries submitted through our online research information request form.

Yes, and at this time of transition, we are doing so slowly and carefully, in order to pay full attention to the development of our new facility. An updated collecting plan was completed in 2011, outlining all collecting priorities. If you wish to donate items to the collection, please visit this page.